She had been the lawyer's client in the past, and a frequent sexual partner in the past. The state's lawyer disciplinary board had recommended only admonishment and some refresher courses in ethics.

The court -- which said it had never been confronted with such facts -- saw it this way:

At first glance, this case appears to relate solely to the prurient acts of an attorney with a woman with whom he had a long-standing sexual relationship. From a legal disciplinary standpoint, however, this case is of greater moment. Without undue focus on the case’s salacious details, this case distills down to the deliberate misrepresentations of a member of the State Bar to correctional officers of a secure prison facility in order to gain access to an incarcerated person in the State’s custody, the subsequent abuse of trust occasioned by the attorney’s taking advantage of the inmate and whether that conduct is a violation of our Rules of Professional Conduct.

So, in West Virginia parlance, the court annulled the lawyer's license. Read the full opinion here.

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